


What Happens in Elympios...

by lindoreda



Series: Anthology of BF prompts [3]
Category: Tales of Xillia
Genre: Crack, Drinking, Gambling, Gen, Missing Scene, One Shot, after TOX, before TOX2, going out with a bang
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-28
Updated: 2014-07-28
Packaged: 2018-02-10 20:28:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2039022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lindoreda/pseuds/lindoreda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Had better stay there. Between lying to casino bouncers and using Jude as a poker chip, it was a miracle they didn't all become outlaws again after their last night together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Happens in Elympios...

**Author's Note:**

> The boyfriend had the awful idea of the Xillia crew getting drunk and making certain specified bad decisions, and then it was my job to string it all together into a coherent fic. Apologies in advance for the School of Rock reference, and the overall ridiculousness, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Looking back, Jude should have known Alvin had something devious in mind.

Immediately following their defeat of Gaius and Muzet, they had known that things wouldn’t be the same anymore. There was really nothing keeping their group together, and no reason for those of them who had responsibilities to keep avoiding them. At the very least, Jude needed to go back to school, and Elize needed to be put _in_ school. But the idea of the group breaking up and splitting off to the four winds wasn’t a pleasant one. Jude had thought Alvin was just feeling that way too, and that was why he suggested they do one more thing together, and bring Gaius along to show there were no hard feelings.

He really should have known better by now. Still, they were all feeling a little melancholy about the whole thing, so everyone agreed easily. Even Milla had no problem with the idea, but then, she had time now. She didn’t have an urgent mission anymore. One small delay wouldn’t hurt anything.

So, without any explanation other than that, Alvin piled them all onto a bus, and off they went. At first, most of the group was too excited by actually being in one of those new vehicles they’d been seeing around Trigleph, but it didn’t last long. The dreary brown landscape of Elympios was not nearly interesting enough to keep them from demanding answers, and eventually, he cracked. Or so they thought.

“I told you how gambling is kind of a big deal here,” he said, and they all nodded. Well, except for Gaius, who was probably still trying to figure out why he’d agreed to this. “We’re going to one of Elympios’s hottest casinos, where I’ve got a private room with all the amenities for us to have the best blowout you’ve ever seen.”

Leia furrowed her brow. “But I thought you hated gambling.”

“And three of us are minors,” Jude reminded him.

“Don’t worry about that,” Alvin said, waving off both objections at once. “It’s not really about the gambling, it’s just the best place in Elympios to have a party.”

Alvin was definitely up to something, but the others seemed to accept his explanation. Given the cultural focus on gambling, maybe it did make sense to have a party in a casino. Elize at least still looked suspicious after Rowen explained to her what a casino was, Teepo declaring with squinted eyes that he was going to be watching ‘Little Buddy’ for any suspicious moves, so they could all rest easy. Jude did rest a little easier, but Elize was 12. Even if she was used to Alvin’s way of doing things, she could still miss something.

But even Jude forgot to be suspicious when they reached the casino. The opulence of Elympios, when compared to the brown landscape, had always surprised them, and this time was no different. Conservatively, the place looked bigger than Nachtigal’s palace in Fennmont, and twice as expensive. Even Gaius was raising his eyebrows at the copious gold leaf work.

“I see, so humans are more likely to spend money in a place that looks like it’s made of money,” Milla observed thoughtfully, holding her chin between her thumb and forefinger.

“That’s the idea,” Alvin agreed, though he didn’t look particularly proud of it. “Wealth begets wealth, or something. If it looks like the place has a lot of money, you’re going to spend a lot of money trying to get it.”

“They’re gonna let Alvin in a classy place like this?” Teepo asked, and though Elize blushed, she didn’t try to shut Teepo up.

“I don’t believe classy is the word you’re looking for,” Rowen corrected kindly.

“Tacky, maybe,” Leia agreed.

“Not so loud,” Alvin advised with a glance toward the entrance. “The more you insult the place, the harder it’s going to be to get you in. Act sickly.”

“Oh-h, my back,” Rowen began.

“Not you, the kids,” Alvin told him, throwing up his hands in frustration. “Stay here, and look like you’re dying.”

Jude and Leia exchanged a look. Then Leia slumped against Milla, Jude channeled a bit too much of his mana and collapsed onto the ground, and Elize swayed on her feet, the dark circles under her eyes suddenly standing out starkly against her ghostly pale skin. Milla, for her part, looked about as genuinely concerned as she could until she realized that Leia was just pretending.

“Alvin’s not the only actor among you,” Gaius observed, looking faintly amused.

“Are we big fat liars now?” Teepo asked, lying weakly in Elize’s arms.

“A solid battle plan often involves a little deception,” Rowen hedged, nodding in agreement with himself.

Jude definitely heard Alvin say something that sounded a lot like “Stickittodamonneosis,” followed by claiming it was a Rieze Maxian disease. He shook his head lightly. Alvin could have asked him for a plausible condition. He could have asked Leia for a plausible condition. Instead he made one up.

Alvin jogged back over with a grin, giving them a thumbs up. “Bingo! Poor, sick Rieze Maxians, needing to be exposed to the finer parts of our culture before they die. Works every time.”

“I hadn’t realized you’d had the opportunity to tell that lie before,” Milla observed.

“It’s a figure of speech,” Jude sighed, rubbing his temples. It was going to be a long night.

The private room Alvin had booked was as opulent as the outside of the place, furnished with thick, plush chairs and impeccable velvet-covered tables. A handful of suited employees waited within, some preparing the card tables, and some preparing trays of Hors d'oeuvres and drinks. Jude’s question about what exactly Alvin intended the minors to do was answered when he saw that one of the tables, instead of having a pile of chips, had candy instead.

“It’s legal if we don’t use money, huh,” he deadpanned.

“Like I said, an important part of our culture,” Alvin confirmed, though he sounded falsely cheery. “Now, kids over here, adults over here, and enjoy the festivities!”

They were halfway through their second game of poker (Leia won; Teepo gave Elize no chance of a having a good poker face) when Jude started to wonder why their last party as a group was being spent age-segregated. It would be easy enough for him to see Elize and Leia again soon. It was the adults whose futures were less certain, and Milla? They might not ever meet again. As fun as a little friendly competition with Leia and Elize could be, he felt a little lonely on this side of the room.

“Does this seem suspicious to anyone else?” he asked, keeping his voice low so that only Elize and Leia could hear. “Why spend one of our last days together split into age groups?”

“That does seem weird,” Elize agreed, putting her hand under chin thoughtfully.

“I doubt we’ll spend the whole night like this,” Leia reasoned. “Just until they’re drunk enough-” She slapped her hands over her mouth, as if she’d said too much, and Jude’s eyes narrowed. Leia didn’t say anything else though, so he looked over at the adult table. Sure enough, Alvin was making sure the alcohol was flowing, and Milla’s cheeks were already flushed from drink.

“Leia,” Jude began, eyebrows raised. Milla had no alcohol tolerance. He wasn’t sure what the plan here was, but putting the people likeliest to object to Milla drinking somewhere far away was obviously part of some plan. But why would Alvin want to get Milla drunk? He was honestly surprised that she could still _get_ drunk. Maybe he was just testing her?

“I don’t know anything!” Leia denied hurriedly.

“Leia’s scheming with Alvin!” Teepo accused, lunging at her face but backing off at the last second.

“How could you?” Elize asked, looking at the floor.

“I’m not!” Leia insisted.

Jude would remember that. Just like he would remember the feel of her staff slamming into the back of his neck when he excused himself to go to the bathroom. When he opened his eyes again, his wrists and ankles were tied, and he was sitting on a table in a dark room.

“I’m sorry about this,” Leia told him, her voice coming from somewhere behind him. “But we couldn’t all split up without answering one question.”

“What question?” Jude demanded with a wince at the pain in his head.

Leia grinned. “How drunk Milla and Gaius have to get before they start fighting over you, poker version! Alvin thought fewer things might get destroyed that way.”

It was hard to say if he’d heard anything even close to that ridiculous before. It was too absurd for him to have suspected what they were after. But there was no time to try and talk Leia out of it, because she was pushing his table back into the main room. Any hopes of being rescued by Elize or Rowen were quickly dashed. Rowen was gone, and Elize was napping on one of the chairs. Most of the casino employees were gone too. How long had he been unconscious?

“And now, the main event!” A familiar voice was saying. “The prize for the next winning hand of poker: one big phony.”

When had Ivar gotten here?

“Alvin claims he didn’t invite Ivar,” Leia whispered. “For all we know, he scaled a wall or something.”

That was probably the most believable thing he’d heard all night.

“Jude is this rounds’ bet?” Gaius asked, his appraising gaze not as steady as usual. “Interesting.”

Jude gulped. “It can’t be legal in Elympios to use people as collateral,” he observed, giving Alvin an accusing stare.

Alvin was apparently used to it, because he just shrugged. “Remember when we bet Balan we could find a light leaf clover, and some soldiers tried to stop us?”

“Yes…” Jude agreed hesitantly.

“In Elympios, anything goes if it’s for the sake of a bet.”

He gulped again. At this rate, he was going to be glad to have a few months without seeing any of them.

“Don’t worry, Jude,” Milla said, sounding far more cheerful than usual. She extended a hand toward him, and he felt a gust of wind brush past his cheek. She’d invoked Sylph! While intoxicated! She could have taken his head off! “I’ll protect you from Gaius.”

“You have to beat me first,” Gaius reminded her, taking a long drink. Alvin quietly refilled the tumbler. “After what you did to my Chimeriad, I need a replacement. Jude is a good start.”

Jude resisted the urge to roll his eyes. This wasn’t so different from the posturing in the church outside Kanbalar, or their last conversation in Trigleph. They were just fighting over him now, rather than the fate of the world. And it had only taken a few drinks. How had Alvin and Leia known?

“I won’t just hand him over to you,” Milla promised as she accepted cards from Ivar, though her words were a little slurred. Who had decided that Ivar was the dealer least likely to cheat? Maybe it was time to start shopping for winter clothes. Kanbalar was chilly pretty much every time of year.

Then again, when he saw Gaius flatly ignore Ivar’s attempts to help him cheat, Jude relaxed a little. Even tipsy, Gaius had his pride.

“You’ll play three hands,” Alvin was saying. “Best two out of three. We can’t let someone get lucky only once and walk off with our Jude.”

“No dillydallying though,” Leia added. “If Rowen comes back before you’re done, he probably won’t approve.”

“Where is Rowen, anyway?” Jude asked Leia quietly, flexing against his bonds to see if they had any give. They did not, and she only shrugged. Likewise, the game didn’t inspire any hope. Milla was frowning at her cards, while Gaius appeared to be smirking. At least tipsy Gaius had less of a poker face than sober Gaius. Not that it would help Milla.

“How was Milla at poker before you decided to auction me off?” Jude asked when Alvin walked past him.

“She knows the rules,” Alvin assured him. “Gaius won most of the hands before the alcohol hit though, so it’s going to be close.”

“Is there a backup plan in case she loses? I at least had the chance to run the last time you sold us to Gaius,” Jude pointed out sourly, struggling against his bonds. They were Leia’s work, so the knots were punishingly tight. He had a better chance of breaking the rope at this point.

“I have something in mind,” Alvin promised. “The point was to see how drunk they’d need to be to agree to this game and see what happens when they actually play it, not to make a start as a human trafficker.”

“I’m holding you to that,” Jude swore, before giving the game his full attention.

The first game was a clear win for Gaius. With only two people playing, Milla couldn’t hide behind bluffs to avoid revealing a poor hand. Her better poker face made little difference, and Jude started to sweat. The second game was a little different.  
“I doubt you can beat this,” Gaius taunted, revealing his hand.

“That’s not a straight,” Leia corrected him, flipping one of the cards. “That’s a six, not a nine.”

Alvin kept refilling Gaius’s glass, and so the second game went to Milla due to that careless mistake by Gaius. Despite having no alcohol tolerance, Milla seemed to be managing better. Probably because Alvin wasn’t contriving to make her any drunker.

Jude was sweating enough by the start of the third game to move his wrists a little, but not enough. He was going to have to rely on whatever Alvin was planning to get out of this. When had that ever gone well?

Milla was staring at her cards intently, chewing on her lip. Gaius meanwhile looked triumphant. “I think you’ll be handing Jude over, Maxwell,” he said, revealing his hand.

Milla looked down and opened her mouth to say something, but at the moment, the door burst open, revealing Rowen who looked somewhat worse for wear.

“Where have you all been?” he asked, though the question clearly answered itself, since they were all there. “The bus is waiting.”

“What bus?” Milla asked, the game forgotten, and Jude relaxed slightly.

“Oh, er, I don’t think you’d be interested,” Alvin interrupted, slipping behind Jude and cutting the ropes binding his wrists. “Get out while you can, kid,” he muttered. “Things are about to get messy.”

Jude didn’t need to be told twice. He saw Elize waking up, and he heard Rowen mention that the bus had been full of nubile young women. The crack of Leia’s staff against the floor was the last thing he heard before he made it out of the room, and chaos erupted as the staff rushed in. So he wasn’t going to be handed off as part of a bet today, but they were going to get kicked out of one of the nicer casinos in Elympios. He could almost laugh. That was a much more appropriate going away party than drinking and gambling. So much of their journey had been spent as outlaws, so why be respectable now?

In the morning, there was no fancy casino, no rented buses, not even a roof over their heads. They’d camped in a field, with only Elympios’s brown grass beneath them, and only the sky above. It was more fitting for their final day together, or at least Jude thought so.

“You planned all this, didn’t you?” he asked Alvin while the hungover adults and worn out kids slept. “Even getting thrown out.”

“I’m no good at farewells,” Alvin admitted. “What usually happens is I leave because I’ve betrayed someone, or they die. I thought a messy, wild, memorable party would make it easier.”

“And has it?”

Alvin laughed. “No. But at least we have some blackmail material on Gaius, in case he steps out of line again.”

“You’re braver than I thought, threatening to blackmail Gaius,” Milla observed with a yawn, rubbing her eyes. “I misjudged you.”

“Who is blackmailing me?” Gaius asked groggily, looking about as disheveled as Jude had ever seen him.

And so the mess from the night before began again, creating enough chaos that Jude almost forget to be sad that it was unlikely they would reunite like this again for a long time. Like Alvin had said, it wasn’t any easier. But he was grateful for the attempt anyway.

Then Ivar tackled him and he really did forget to be sad.


End file.
